Taste this!

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake, Darling.

Quick question. It is officially Autumn. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. The annual Pumpkin Spice Love Fest has been tickling our tastebuds for weeks. So I ask you. Are you tired of the sensible, traditional pumpkin pie? Wanna kick things up and create some gluten-free love food for the vegans and dairy-free folks visiting this holiday season? Every family has one. Or two. Or six.

Are you with me?

Because I am here to lure you- with a silver fork-worthy dessert recipe totally worth baking.

This is a silky, creamy pumpkin cheesecake that begs for a party. Or a family rumpus. One of many last hurrahs as daylight dwindles darkly toward the Winter Solstice low point, flickering her last sigh Northward before the pale glare of January dawns in all her cold and sober glory (and I step- ever so gingerly- on the reality check scale). And maybe sigh. A little hint of a sigh.

Because even though it is pre-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas, pre-Hannukah and all the pre-holiday jazz I can already see that the annual jean shrinkage has begun. It's that time of year when (mysteriously!) my favorite jeans come damp-dry out of the dryer a size too small. And that familiar jolly pie roll affectionately known as Doris is itching to start rolling her merry way up and out of my favorite black leggings. It's rather comical. And honestly, she makes me smile. I pat her affectionately.

Like a pet bunny.

Because the truth is I am not about to start counting calories.

Though I admit I may possiblyprobably definitely feel the need to cleanse my palette in the bright new year that lurks and leers around the post-holiday corner. Detox mulligatawny is surely in my future, come 2017.

If for nothing else, for the sheer love of shedding old stuck energy. A fresh start feels good.

If you do it with a big dash of humor.

And humility.

I know from experience that January will ignite the urge to clean out closets, chase those dust bunnies and walk off our collective Doris's. Or would that be Dori, for plural? We'll have ample time, come 2017, for detoxing and courting virtue with ginger laced green soup, and recipes that will encourage our lovely pinchable pie rolls to skedaddle. I promise. I'll be firstsecond third in line with fresh whipped smoothies and cleansing soup recipes come January.

But this month? Nah.

There's a vegan pumpkin cheesecake recipe to share.

Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Originally published December 2010 by Karina Allrich.

This recipe is loosely based on my pre-celiac pumpkin cheesecake recipe. The cheesecake crust is based on my coconut-pecan pie crust recipe from my Pumpkin Praline Pie. Serve slices garnished with fresh berries, if you like. Or mint leaves.

Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Prepare a 9-inch Springform pan by lining the bottom with a piece of parchment paper.

Place all of the dry ingredients into a food processor bowl and pulse until the mixture looks a bit like coarse sand. Add in the vegan butter and pulse in quick, short bursts until the crumbs are moist and fall away from the sides of the bowl.

Dump the crumbs into the cake pan and spread them evenly. Using your fingers gently press the crumbs across the bottom and up the sides- about half the way up.